System and method for generating a unique identifier that can be used to integrate an offline experience with an online experience

ABSTRACT

A method for generating a unique identifier that can be used to integrate an offline experience of a user with an online experience of the user, including establishing an offline experience identifier that can be used to access at least one offline experience data item. The method further includes, as part of a transaction related to at least one of the offline experience and the online experience, collecting at least one user data item, the user data item being a data item relevant to the user. The method further includes establishing a user identifier that can be used to access the user data item; and using at least one of the offline experience identifier and the user identifier to establish the unique identifier. The unique identifier can be subsequently used to obtain at least one of the offline experience identifier and the user identifier.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates generally to tailoring online experiencesof Internet users and more particularly to integrating offlineexperiences of such users with the online experiences.

[0002] One of the benefits of the structure and function of distributednetworks such as the Internet is the flexibility with which content suchas information and opportunities can be presented. Standardizedcommunication protocols, standardized document formats, and the abilityto incorporate stored data into Web pages and Web applications, haveenabled software developers to construct Web pages and Web sites thatare dynamically customized for each visitor. For example, some Web sitescurrently permit users, during an initial registration process, orduring a supplemental registration process, to indicate the type ofcontent the user wishes to experience next time the user visits the Website. Web sites offering news, for example, may allow the user toindicate whether he or she wishes to view world news, financial newsand/or sports news only, as opposed to also receiving local news andbusiness news. Other Web sites, which allow users to purchase goodsand/or services, keep track of purchases made by the user, and usingsuch information, suggest additional or alternative purchases to theuser when the user subsequently visits the Web site.

[0003] A common feature of such tailored online experiences is that theonline experience is tailored based on previous online experiences,and/or information provided by the user that is related only generallyto offline experiences of the user. These limitations make the currentmethods unable to accommodate the desires of users for more robustonline experiences that are based on specific offline experiences of theuser.

[0004] Accordingly, there is a need to integrate offline experienceswith online experiences, providing more robust content related tospecific offline experiences.

[0005] Other current methods of tailoring online experiences make itdifficult and time-consuming for a user, once having experienced aspecific offline experience, to be presented with content directlyrelated to the offline experience. For example, if a user attends aconcert by his or her favorite music performer, the user may desire toread more information about the performer, have the opportunity topurchase collectible items that relate to the concert, and/or purchasetickets to future concerts by the same performer. Many companies thathost or sponsor offline experiences such as concerts are in the businessof offering many different types of offline experiences and/or manydifferent offline experiences of the same type. A user who has attendedthe concert and wishes to obtain more information or be presented withadditional opportunities related to the concert, is able to visit a Website presented by the company hosting the concert. However, even if theWeb site is well organized, the user must typically navigate throughmany layers of the Web site, often by answering a series of questions orresponding to a series of prompts or cues, to arrive at the informationor opportunities that the user desires. This process is oftentime-consuming and discouraging, and sometimes ultimately not fruitfulfor the user.

[0006] For another example, some users experience a media selection asan offline experience, but are unable to identify the title of the mediaselection. For example, a person hearing a song on the radio for thefirst time may not know the name of the song or the artist. The user maydesire to obtain more information about the media selection or evenpurchase and download a digital copy of the media selection.Unfortunately, if the user does not know the title of the mediaselection, she will typically be unable to easily locate theseopportunities online. While such a user can navigate to generalcategories of media selections, she will still need to search throughthe category manually in order to locate the media selection, often atconsiderable time expense. In many cases, the user will simply give upafter trying for a certain amount of time, and/or attempt to locate themedia selection at another competing Web site. While a single incidentmay not be devastating to an online purveyor of information and content,the cumulative affect of having users leave the Web site dissatisfied,can result in a loss of business. More importantly, online purveyorsthat can enable users to quickly locate content directly related tospecific offline experiences, could achieve a commercial advantage overonline purveys that cannot.

[0007] Accordingly, there is a need to integrate offline experienceswith online experiences, enabling users to quickly and efficientlylocate online content directly related to the offline experiences.

[0008] In addition, many venues through which the user experiences mediaselections are not capable of delivering digital copies of mediaselections to the user conveniently when such digital copies aredesired. For example, a user may hear a song on the radio, but the radiois unable to deliver a digital copy of the song to the user. In order toobtain the digital copy, the user must return to a computer having ahigh-speed access connection to the Internet. If the user is in the car,this wait time can be significant. In addition, the user is required toobtain the title of the song or remember the title until that time,which are difficult tasks if the user is unfamiliar with the song. Websites offering the downloads typically require users searching the siteto know such information, and therefore the user encounters thedifficulties discussed above. Further, the user is also required to waitthe length of time the download takes once the download has begun. Evenwith high-speed Internet access modems, the downloading of mediaselections, depending on the audio or video quality desired, can taketoo long for many users.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need to integrate offline experienceswith online experiences, including online experiences that involve thedownloading of digital copies of media selections, enabling users toidentify specific offline experiences by providing only circumstantialinformation about the offline experience. There is also a need tointegrate offline experiences with online experiences, making it easierto quickly provide copies of desired media selections to users, once theuser has identified the media selections as being related to the user'soffline experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In an embodiment, the invention provides a method for generatinga unique identifier that can be used to integrate an offline experienceof a user with an online experience of the user. The method includesestablishing an offline experience identifier that can be used to accessat least one offline experience data item, the offline experience dataitem being a data item relevant to the offline experience. The methodfurther includes, as part of a transaction related to at least one ofthe offline experience and the online experience, collecting at leastone user data item, the user data item being a data item relevant to theuser. The method further includes establishing a user identifier thatcan be used to access the user data item. The method further includesusing at least one of the offline experience identifier and the useridentifier to establish the unique identifier. The unique identifier canbe subsequently used to obtain at least one of the offline experienceidentifier and the user identifier.

[0011] In one aspect, the unique identifier includes a combination ofthe offline experience identifier and the user identifier.

[0012] In another aspect, the unique identifier includes at least twoseparate identifiers.

[0013] In yet another aspect, the unique identifier is a numericalresult of a mathematical algorithm applied to the offline experienceidentifier and the user identifier.

[0014] In still another aspect, the unique identifier includes at leastone of a character string and a bar code.

[0015] In still another aspect, at least a portion of the uniqueidentifier is printed on a physical object.

[0016] In still another aspect, at least a portion of the uniqueidentifier is transmitted digitally.

[0017] In still another aspect, the transaction facilitatesparticipation of the user in at least one of the offline experience andthe online experience. Preferably in this aspect, the user data item waspreviously stored in a storage medium and collecting includes accessingthe user data item from the storage medium. Also preferably in thisaspect, collecting includes soliciting and receiving the user data itemfrom the user. Also preferably in this aspect, collecting includesinferring the user data item based on at least of a characteristic ofthe offline experience, a characteristic of the online experience, acharacteristic of the user, and a characteristic of the transaction.Also preferably in this aspect, the transaction includes scanning atleast a portion of a physical object, the portion being imprinted withat least one of the identifiers. In some embodiments in this aspect, thephysical object is required for admission to the offline experience.

[0018] In still another aspect, the transaction includes at least one ofa registration and a purchase. Preferably in this aspect, the purchaseis a ticket purchase.

[0019] In still another aspect, the user data item is selected from thegroup consisting of payment information, contact information,demographic information, and preference information. Preferably in thisaspect, the demographic data is selected from the group consisting ofmarital status, income level, occupation, number of children, number ofrelatives, a biological feature and a biological measurement.

[0020] In still another aspect, the offline experience is a mediaselection experienced by the user and the offline experience data itemincludes at least one of a title of the media selection, a personassociated with the media selection, a channel on which the mediaselection was experienced by the user, and a time at which the mediaselection was experienced by the user. Preferably in this aspect, themedia selection is an audio selection that is heard by the user. Alsopreferably in this aspect, the media selection is a video selection thatis at least one of heard and seen by the user.

[0021] In still another aspect, the offline experience is an eventexperienced by the user and the offline experience data item includes atleast one of a name of the event, a person associated with the event, atype of the event, a time of the event, and a place of the event.Preferably in this aspect, the event is at least one of a concert, ashow, a presentation, a lecture, and a speech, that is attended by theuser.

[0022] In another embodiment, the invention provides a storage mediumcontaining a software program capable of causing a system to executeactions in generating a unique identifier that can be used to integratean offline experience of a user with an online experience of the user.The actions can be those discussed above, including those in accordancewith one or more of the aspects and preferable characteristics describedabove.

[0023] In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a systemincluding a microprocessor operating under the control of at least onesoftware program capable of causing the system to execute actions ingenerating a unique identifier that can be used to integrate an offlineexperience of a user with an online experience of the user. The actionscan be those discussed above, including those in accordance with one ormore of the aspects and preferable characteristics described above.

[0024] In still another embodiment, the invention provides a systemcapable of generating a unique identifier that can be used to integratean offline experience of a user with an online experience of the user.The system includes means for means for establishing an offlineexperience identifier that can be used to access at least one offlineexperience data item, the offline experience data item being a data itemrelevant to the offline experience. The system further includes meansfor, as part of a transaction related to at least one of the offlineexperience and the online experience, collecting at least one user dataitem, the user data item being a data item relevant to the user. Thesystem further includes means for establishing a user identifier thatcan be used to access the user data item. The system further includesmeans for using at least one of the offline experience identifier andthe user identifier to establish the unique identifier. The uniqueidentifier can be subsequently used to obtain at least one of theoffline experience identifier and the user identifier. One or more ofthe aspects and preferable characteristics described above can be partof this embodiment as well.

[0025] In still another embodiment, the invention provides a method ofproviding information. The method includes issuing to a person attendingan event an identifier that is associated with the event. The methodfurther includes associating, with the event, products and servicesavailable for sale to the person. The method further includes receivingthe identifier via a computer network. The method further includesretrieving a description of the products and services using theidentifier. The method further includes sending the description via thecomputer network in response to the receipt of the identifier.

[0026] In an aspect, the event is selected from the group consisting ofa concert, a show, a presentation and a lecture.

[0027] In another aspect, the computer network includes the Internet.

[0028] In yet another aspect, at least one of the products and servicesis selected from the group consisting of information about an artist,information about a concert, a piece of merchandise related to aconcert, a ticket, a recording of a concert, clothing, a compact disc,fan club material, delivery of a news story, biographical material, andan advanced ticket purchase opportunity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029]FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system ofthe invention.

[0030]FIG. 2 shows a functional diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0031]FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a systemof the invention.

[0032]FIG. 4 shows a functional diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, a system 50 in accordance with an embodimentof the invention includes a network of computers such as an end usercomputer 60 which communicates with Web servers 70-72 via an Internet80. Although only a few computers are depicted in FIG. 1, it should beappreciated that a typical system can include a large number ofconnected computers. Preferably, the computer 60 is a general purposecomputer having all the components normally found in a computer such as,for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 61, a display 62, a CD-ROMdrive 63, a hard drive 64, a mouse 65, a keyboard 66, speakers 67, amicrophone 68, a modem 69 and all of the components used for connectingthese elements to one another. The computer 60 also has a bar codereader 59 and the components used for connecting the bar code reader 59as an input device for the end user computer 60. It should beappreciated that other means for inputting information from a human intoa computer, in addition to those shown, are also acceptable such as, forexample, a touch sensitive screen and a voice recognition system.Further, although the CPU 61 is shown as a single processor, theinstructions may be distributed to a number of different components orprocessors for execution.

[0034] The computer 60 can be owned and operated by an end user andcommunicates with the Internet 80 via the modem 69. The computer 60 mayinclude any device capable of processing instructions and transmittingdata to and from humans and other computers, including network computerslacking local storage capability, personal digital assistants (PDAs)with modems, and Internet-capable wireless phones. To provide a specificexample to illustrate this embodiment, the computer 60 shall beconsidered to be owned and operated by an end user who will be referredto throughout this example as a user.

[0035] The Web servers 70-72 include hardware for sending and receivinginformation over the World Wide Web such as, for example, Web pages orfiles. The hardware includes all of the components normally found in aWeb server such as, for example, one or more CPUs 73, one or more harddrives 74, and one or more modems 75. The Web servers 70-72 communicatewith the Internet 80 via the modems 75. The Web servers 70-72 may betypical Web servers or any computer network server or other automatedsystem capable of communicating with other computers over a network,including the Internet 80, Wide Area Networks (WANs) or Local AreaNetworks (LANs). For example, the system described above in connectionwith the computer 60 may also function as a Web server.

[0036] The computer 60 and the Web servers 70-72 each includeinstructions and a variety of data. Preferably, each of the instructionsand data are stored as a program on the respective hard drive of thecomputer or Web server. The functions, methods and routines of theprograms are explained in greater detail below.

[0037] The Web server 72 may be owned and operated by a company that isin the business of promoting offline experiences and integrating theoffline experiences with online experiences. Exemplary offlineexperiences promoted by the company include attendance and participationat events such as, for example, concerts, shows, presentations andlectures. Exemplary online experiences include the presentation of Webpages that feature content that is related functionally and/orinformationally to the respective offline experience. Such content caninclude descriptions of products and/or services, such as, for example,products and/or services that are available for sale to the user.Further with regard to the specific example, the company shall beconsidered to be an entertainment company (the “Company”) that is in thebusiness of promoting attendance at concerts and integrating theattendance with online experiences relevant to the concerts.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, to effect the integration, the Web server 72includes a program 200 that organizes, stores and retrieves offlineexperience values. The offline experience values include informationrelevant to the offline experiences and can be used to distinguish eachoffline experience from other offline experiences being promoted by theCompany. Accordingly, as part of the offline experience program 200, thesystem 50 includes an offline experience database 220 having at leastone offline experience record 240. Using the specific example, each ofthe records 240 corresponds to one of the concerts. Each of the records240 contains at least one offline experience data item 260, each ofwhich is a data item relevant to the concert for which the associatedrecord is established. The data items 260 in the specific example are:the name of the concert, the artist performing at the concert, the typeof concert, the time of the concert and the location of the concert. Itshould be understood that additional or alternative data items may bestored, depending on the type of offline experience being promoted bythe Company, and that the data items used here are merely examples forone type of offline experience.

[0039] The system 50 further includes offline experience identifiers 280that can be used to access each of the records 240 for storage andretrieval of the data items 260. The identifiers 280 in the specificexample are concert identifier codes 280: CONCERT1, CONCERT2, CONCERT3,CONCERT4 and CONCERT5. Each code 280 can be used to access itsassociated record 240 via instructions and processes of the offlineexperience program 200 in a manner known in the art. It should beunderstood that any suitable identifier format can be used, and that theformat provided here is merely one example.

[0040] Further to effect the integration, the Web server 72 includes aprogram 400 that organizes, stores and retrieves user values. The uservalues include information relevant to users. Exemplary users includepersons who are customers of the Company, that experience the offlineexperiences and who wish to have their offline experiences integratedwith their online experiences. The user values may be collected by anysuitable means, but are preferably collected as part of a registrationprocess and/or a transaction process, as described in greater detailbelow with reference to the operation of the system 50.

[0041] Accordingly, as part of the user program 400, the system 50further includes a user database 420 having at least one user record440. Each record 440 corresponds to one of the users. Each record 440contains at least one user data item 460, each of which is a data itemrelevant to the user for which the associated record is established. Thedata items 460 in the specific example are the payment information ofthe user, contact information of the user, demographic information ofthe user, and preference information of the user. Examples of paymentinformation include credit card numbers, names on credit cards,expiration dates of credit cards, debit card numbers, checking accountnumbers, and electronic currency account numbers. Examples of contactinformation include a name, an email address, a physical address, and atelecommunications number. Examples of demographic information includemarital status, income level, occupation, number of children, number ofrelatives, biological features (e.g., hair color, race, ethnic origin,and sex), biological measurements (e.g., age, height and weight), anduser characteristics. Examples of preference information includeinterests, hobbies, types of preferred experiences, types of music theuser likes, formats in which the user likes to listen to music, thefrequency with which the user tends to purchase music, and the types ofmusic-related products that the user likes to purchase.

[0042] It should be understood that additional or alternative data itemsmay be stored, depending on the needs or desires of the Company, andthat the data items used here are merely examples for one type ofoffline experience.

[0043] The system 50 further includes user identifiers 480 that can beused to access each of the records 440 for storage and retrieval of thedata items 460. The identifiers 480 in the specific example are useraccount codes 480: USER1, USER2, USER3, USER4 and USER5. Each code 480can be used to access its associated record 440 via instructions andprocesses of the user program 400 in a manner known in the art. Itshould be understood that any suitable identifier format can be used,and the format provided here is merely one example.

[0044] Further to effect the integration, the Web server 72 includes aprogram 600, and a related processing system 610 operating with theprogram 600, that function together to effect the consummation offinancial transactions between users and the Company, particularly inthe specific example for the sale of tickets that allow admission to theconcerts. The financial program 600 and system 610 in the specificexample include all of the components commonly found in programs andsystems known in the art that take orders from users over the Internetand deliver printed tickets to the users' physical addresses in return.For example, the financial system 610 can include personnel, transactionmachines, ticket printing machines, and communication systems, that caninteract with the financial program 600 to achieve this functionality.

[0045] Further to effect the integration, the Web server 72 includes aprogram 800 that dynamically selects and tailors a plurality of Webpages 810 for presentation to users. The Web pages 810 are stored asfiles on the hard drive 74 of the Web server 72 and contain contentdirectly related to the concerts, including content directly related tothose aspects of the concerts identified by the concert data items 260.The content includes preferred information as well as preferredopportunities. For example, informational content can includeinformation about the artists, concert production, and upcoming relatedconcerts. For example, the opportunity content can include opportunitiesto purchase concert-related merchandise, tickets to upcoming concerts,and recordings of the concert. Such opportunities can includesdescriptions of products and/or services that are available for sale tothe user. Exemplary products include clothing, audio compact discs, andfan club material. Exemplary services include delivery of news stories,biographical material, and advanced ticket purchase opportunities.

[0046] Further to effect the integration, the Web server 72 includes aprogram 1000 that interacts with users through a Web page interfaceusing the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) andother standard Internet communication protocols. The interaction withusers includes receiving data from, and distributing data to, users overthe Internet. The interaction program 1000 interacts with the otherprograms 200, 400, 600 and 800 to coordinate the functions of theprograms in response to user input and user needs.

[0047] All of the programs 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 can, as required,instruct one another and share data between them. This functionality andthe functionality of each of the programs individually are directed bythe CPU 73 of the Web server 72. The data described in relation to thisfunctionality is stored as required on the hard drive 74 of the Webserver 72. Communications with the computer 60 and other nodes of theInternet, including nodes owned and operated by third parties, areaccomplished using the modem 75 of the Web server 72. Thisfunctionality, storage and communication will be described in greaterdetail below as the operation of the system 50 is described.

[0048] In operation, the system 50 can be used to generate a uniqueidentifier that can be used to integrate an offline experience of a userwith an online experience of the user. In the specific example, theoffline experience includes an event that the user experiences,specifically a concert that the user attends, and the online experienceincludes Web pages with which the user interacts, specifically Web pagesthat present content directly related to the concert.

[0049] The process for generating a unique identifier that can be usedto integrate the offline experience with the online experience includesestablishing the offline experience identifiers 280. As noted above,each of the identifiers 280 can be used to access at least one of theoffline experience data items 260 associated with the respectiveidentifier 280.

[0050] The process further includes, as part of a transaction related tothe offline experience and/or the online experience, collecting at leastone of the user data items 460. Suitable transactions include, forexample, registration of users and/or purchases by users. In thespecific example, the transaction is related to the offline experiencein that it is a transaction into which the user enters to gain admissionto the concert. In this manner, the transaction facilitatesparticipation of the user in the offline experience. Prior to thetransaction, the user selects the concert she desires to attend. Theuser then operates the computer 60 to connect to a Web page presented bythe interaction program 1000 and navigates to a Web page that, inoperation with the financial program 600, enables the user to place anorder for a ticket to the desired concert. The interaction program 1000solicits and receives from the user payment information, including acredit card number, the name on the credit card, and the expiration dateof the credit card. In this manner, the interaction program 1000, inoperation with the financial program 600, collects several user dataitems 460. These particular user data items 460 are relevant to the userin that they provide information about the user that the Company can useto secure payment for the ticket. It should be understood thatadditional or alternate payment information can be used, such as, forexample, other account numbers, debit card numbers, check numbers, andelectronic or digital currency numbers. Once the payment information isreceived, the information is provided to the financial program 600 forprocessing in accordance with financial transaction processing known inthe art, including debiting the credit card and crediting an accountowned by the Company.

[0051] As part of the transaction, the interaction program 1000 may alsoask the user for user data items that are not necessary to complete thetransaction, but which may be helpful to the Company for marketing orother purposes. Such user data items can include the contactinformation, demographic information, and preference informationidentified above. In the specific example, the interaction program asksthe user for a physical address, the user's age group, the user'soccupation, and the type of music to which the user prefers to listen.It should be understood that the information does not need to be relatedto the offline experience, but can relate to other goods and services ofthe Company, or goods and services of other companies. In some cases,when the Company has affiliations or relationships with other companies,it is helpful to collect user data items for those other companies, andthe collection of user data items, and in particular preferences of theuser, can facilitate such activity and enhance such relationships.

[0052] It should be noted that in some instances, user data items can beinferred based on a characteristic of the offline experience, acharacteristic of the user, and/or a characteristic of the transaction.Regarding a characteristic of the offline experience, for example, ifthe concert is a pop music concert, the interaction program 1000 (havingaccess to such information via the offline experience program 200) caninfer that the user likes pop music. Regarding a characteristic of theuser, for example, if the purchase of the ticket is made in person, arepresentative of the Company can observe, and therefore with certaintyinfer, that the user is a female with brown hair, and input thisinformation directly into the user record during or after thetransaction. Regarding a characteristic of the transaction, for example,if the purchase is made with a credit card that awards airline miles forpurchases, the interaction program 1000 can infer that the user likes totravel. It should be understood that other user data item inferences arepossible, by combining and/or analyzing user data items obtained duringa current transaction with user data items contained in the user's userrecord, or other users' user records, to establish or realize trends,for example, in users' preference data, demographic data, and orpurchasing habits. In this manner, the interaction program 1000, inoperation with the user program 400, is able to update the user recordsas a result of each interaction with the user, to make the onlineexperiences more robust.

[0053] As noted above, the collected user data items 460 are stored inthe user's user record 440 by the user program 400 after the userprogram 400 receives them from the interaction program 1000. It shouldbe understood that if a user record does not yet exist for the user, theuser program 400 creates a new user record for the user and stores theuser data items in the new user record.

[0054] The process for generating a unique identifier that can be usedto integrate the offline experience with the online experience furtherincludes establishing the user identifiers 480. Each of the identifiers480 can be used to access at least one of the user data items 460associated with the respective identifier 480. In the illustrativeexample, the user identifiers are user account codes 480. That is, as aresult of the transaction in the specific example, the user program 400creates a user record 440, stores the user data items 460 in the user'suser record 440, and create a new user account code 480 for the user.This user account code 480 can be used by the user program 400 later toretrieve the user data items 460.

[0055] It should be noted that the collection of user data items is notlimited to the solicitation and receipt of user data items at the timeof the transaction. If the user program 400 has previously stored userdata items, the collection of user data items can include accessing andretrieving a stored user data item. In this example, if the user program400 has previously stored user data items in the user's user record, forexample, during a prior transaction, the user can provide the user'suser account code 480, and the user program 400 can retrieve previouslystored user data items by accessing the user's user record using theuser's user account code 480. For another example, if the Company hascollected user data items in connection with another interaction betweenthe Company and the user, and has stored those data items in the userdatabase 420 or another database, the user data items can be accessedand retrieved as part of the collection of user data items during thecurrent transaction.

[0056] The process for generating a unique identifier that can be usedto integrate the offline experience with the online experience furtherincludes using the offline experience identifier and/or the useridentifier to establish a unique identifier, such that the uniqueidentifier can be subsequently used to obtain the offline experienceidentifier and/or the user identifier. In the specific example, theinteraction program 1000 accesses the offline experience identifier 280corresponding to the concert which the user will be attending, and theuser account code 480, and combines them sequentially to establish aunique identifier 1020. The first part of the unique identifier 1020reflects the concert identifier code 280 and the second part of theunique identifier 1020 reflects the user account code 480. Other methodsof establishing a unique identifier using the offline experienceidentifier and the user identifier can be employed. For example, theunique identifier can be a numerical result of a mathematical algorithmapplied to the offline experience identifier and the user identifier.Or, for example, the unique identifier may include two separateidentifiers that are issued to the user separately, such that both mustbe supplied by the user to function as a unique identifier.

[0057] As part of the transaction in this embodiment, the interactionprogram 1000 provides the unique identifier 1020 to the financialprogram 600, which in turn provides the unique identifier 1020 to thefinancial system 610. The financial system 610 in the specific examplegenerates a printed ticket 1030 that includes not only informationtypically found on an admission ticket, but also the unique identifier1020 in a character string form 1040 and in a bar code form 1050. Thefinancial system 610 then mails the ticket 1040 to the physical addressprovided by the user.

[0058] The use of a bar code form has certain advantages in that the barcode can efficiently be read by a bar code reader, and cannot easily beread or communicated by the user or another person. This prevents theunique identifier from being easily transferred for use by someone otherthan the user. This is preferable, because the unique identifier bestowscertain benefits when it is used, as will be described in greater detailbelow. It should be understood that the unique identifier, whether ornot in bar code form, can be imprinted on other physical objects suchas, for example, cards, electronic items, and parts of the user.

[0059] It should be understood, however, that the unique identifier canbe presented in any suitable form. In some cases, a form that can easilybe read and communicated by the user has certain advantages. Forexample, if the unique identifier is a character string or a uniformresource locator (URL) address, the user can input the unique identifiermanually using a keyboard, keypad, stylus, voice recognition system, orother input device. This is preferable when the use of a bar code readeror other machine reader is not practical or efficient. When thetransaction is performed over a digital communications network, such asthe Internet, the unique identifier can be transmitted digitally to theuser, and may not necessarily be imprinted on a physical object. Forexample, if the user registers for attendance at a concert using hercredit card, and the Company, instead of issuing a physical ticket tothe user, requires only that the user swipe her credit card at theadmissions gate to confirm with the Company's database that she haspre-paid to attend the concert, the Company could issue the uniqueidentifier to the user digitally at the time of the registrationtransaction, and the user could use the unique identifier during asubsequent online experience. It should be understood that many digitalforms can be used, including, for example, character strings, digitalcertificates, and digital signatures. It should also be understood thatmore than one form can be used. The use of more than one form allows theuse of the unique identifier to be more versatile. For example, in thisembodiment both a bar code and a character string are used. This enablesthe user to easily communicate the unique identifier manually, and alsoenables the unique identifier to be efficiently read by a machine, suchas the bar code reader 59 as will be described below.

[0060] It should be further understood that, depending on how the uniqueidentifier will be used, the unique identifier can be stored on astorage medium for later retrieval. The storage medium can be, forexample, a hard drive 74 of the Web server 72, a hard drive 664 of thecomputer 60, or any other suitable storage medium.

[0061] The system 50 further provides for using the unique identifier tointegrate the offline experience with the online experience. As will bedescribed in greater detail below, the integration involves tailoringthe online experience using an offline experience data item and/or auser data item.

[0062] The process for using the unique identifier to integrate theoffline experience with the online experience includes receiving theunique identifier during a transaction related to the online experience.In the specific example, this transaction takes place after the user hasattended the concert. However, it should be understood that thetransaction can take place at any time after the user has received theunique identifier 1020. In the specific example, after the user hasattended the concert, the user desires to obtain more information and bepresented with additional opportunities relevant to the concert.Therefore, she uses the computer 60 to navigate to the Company's Website to interact with the interaction program 1000. During a transactionon the Web site, the interaction program 1000 solicits the user's uniqueidentifier 1020. In response, in the specific example, the user allowsthe bar code form 1050 of the unique identifier 1020 to be scanned bythe bar code reader 59, and instructs the computer 60 to transmit adigital form of the unique identifier 1020 to the interaction program1000. Alternatively, the user can manually input the character stringform 1040 of the unique identifier 1020, using the keyboard 66 or anyother input device.

[0063] It should also be noted that in other embodiments, theinteraction program 1000 can access the unique identifier 1020 from astorage medium such as the Web server's hard drive 74. For example, ifthe user has previously provided the unique identifier 1020 to theinteraction program 1000, and has given permission for the identifier1020 to be stored on the hard drive 74 and automatically retrieved whenthe user visits the Web site, the interaction program 1000 can receivethe unique identifier 1020 during the transaction by retrieving theunique identifier 1020 from the hard drive 74. The use of “cookies” orsimilar files residing on a storage medium of the user's computer 60 canalso be used to store the unique identifier 1020, and the interactionprogram 1000 can access the “cookie” when the user navigates to the Website, to obtain the unique identifier 1020. This prevents the user frombeing required to manually provide the unique identifier 1020 duringrepeated attempts to use it.

[0064] The process for using the unique identifier to integrate theoffline experience with the online experience further includes using theunique identifier to obtain the offline experience identifier and/or theuser identifier. As noted above, the offline experience identifier canbe used to access at least one offline experience data item, and theuser identifier can be used to access at least one user data item. Inthe specific example, the interaction program 1000, in operation withthe offline experience program 200 and the user program 400, interpretsthe unique identifier 1020 received from the user to obtain the concertidentifier code 280 and the user account code 480. This can beaccomplished by any suitable means such as, for example, reversing theprocess by which the unique identifier 1020 was established. Forexample, if the unique identifier is a numerical result of amathematical algorithm applied to the offline experience identifier andthe user identifier, an application of a reverse algorithm could revealthe separate identifiers. In embodiments such as the specific example,when the unique identifier is a combination of the offline experienceidentifier and the user identifier, a separation of the uniqueidentifier, for example, using known character string lengths of eachidentifier, can reveal the separate identifiers. In other embodiments,the unique identifier includes two separate identifiers that are issuedto the user separately. For example, if the user obtains an offlineexperience identifier separately from a user account code, but both theoffline experience identifier and the user account code togetherfunction as a unique identifier, the user may be required, when asked toprovide the unique identifier, to separately provide both the offlineexperience identifier and the user account code, in order to have theonline experience tailored. In such embodiments, the interpretation ofthe unique identifier is a straightforward recognition of the twoseparate identifiers.

[0065] Once the interaction program 1000 has interpreted the uniqueidentifier 1020 to obtain the offline experience identifier 280 and/orthe user identifier 480, the interaction program 1000, in operation withthe offline experience program 200 and the user program 400, is able toaccess the offline experience data items 260 and/or user data items 460.

[0066] The process for using the unique identifier to integrate theoffline experience with the online experience further includes tailoringthe online experience based on the offline experience data item and/orat least one user data item. In the specific example, once the concertdata items 260 and the user data items 460 are available to theinteraction program 1000, the interaction program 1000 can, in operationwith the presentation program 800, use these items to tailor the onlineexperience to make it more useful or enjoyable to the user. In someembodiments, the user would be permitted to purchase preferredmerchandise or view preferred information related to the offlineexperience and/or the user's interests, opportunities with which theuser would not be presented if she had not provided the uniqueidentifier. In some embodiments, the tailored portion of the onlineexperience is exclusive to the user in that, for example, the tailoredportion cannot be accessed by other users and/or provides content oropportunities not afforded to other users.

[0067] In the specific example, the interaction program 1000 presents aWeb page to the user that provides a link to a Web site or Web pageoffering content relevant to the concert and/or the user. Once theinteraction program 1000 has obtained the concert identifier code 280,the interaction program 1000, in operation with the offline experienceprogram 200, accesses the concert record 240 in the offline experiencedatabase 220 to determine who performed at the concert. The interactionprogram 1000, in operation with the presentation program 800, thenpresents a Web page to the user that allows the user to viewbiographical information about the performer, or to enter a chat roomfeaturing the performer. Once the interaction program 1000 has obtainedthe user account code 480, the interaction program 1000, in operationwith the user program 400, accesses the user's user record 440 in theuser database 420 to determine if the user works in the entertainmentindustry. The interaction program 1000, in operation with thepresentation program 800, then presents a Web page to the user thatallows the user to view non-public statistical information about thefinancial ramifications of the concert.

[0068] Or, for another example, the interaction program 1000, inoperation with the financial program 600, would facilitate the purchaseof an item relevant to the offline experience and/or the user. If theconcert record 240 indicates that the performing group will perform atanother concert later in the year, the interaction program 1000 canpresent a Web page to the user that allows the user to purchase advancedor preferred tickets using the financial program 600. If the user record440 indicates that the user prefers outdoor activities, the interactionprogram 1000 could present a Web page that sells outdoor gear imprintedwith the performing group's logo, or a Web page that highlights all ofthe outdoor events at which the group is schedule to perform. TheCompany can also offer discounts to the user toward purchases.

[0069] Or, for another example, the interaction program 1000 wouldpresent an advertisement or opportunity to the user. If the concertrecord 240 indicates that the concert involved rock music, theinteraction program 1000 can present a Web page that advertises mediaselections that include rock music. If the user record 440 indicatesthat the user is a musician, the interaction program 1000 can present aWeb page that offers free advanced music instruction classes at adiscounted price.

[0070] It should be noted that the first transaction discussed above, inwhich the user data items are collected, can be related to the onlineexperience rather than, or in addition to, the offline experience. Forexample, in embodiments where the offline experience identifier, but notthe user identifier, is used to establish the unique identifier, theonline experience can still be tailored based on a user data item. Thiswould be useful if the Company desires to first provide the uniqueidentifier, and then collect a user data item during a subsequent onlinetransaction. For example, the Company may distribute unique identifiersduring an offline experience such as, for example, a promotional event(e.g., a free concert or marketing presentation). An offline experienceidentifier could be established for the promotional event, and offlineexperience data items relevant to the promotional event can be stored inan offline experience record in an offline experience database. Theunique identifiers could be established using that offline experienceidentifier and, for example, sequential numbers. Each unique identifiercould be imprinted on, for example, promotional cards that are handedout during the promotional event. Or, for example, each uniqueidentifier could be stamped onto each user's hand.

[0071] Later, each user could visit the Company's Web site and in anonline transaction, provide her unique identifier to the interactionprogram 1000 upon request. It should be understood that the provision ofthe unique identifier can be accomplished by any suitable method,including the methods described above. For example, if the uniqueidentifier has been imprinted on the promotional card in the form of abar code, the user may provide the unique identifier to the interactionprogram 1000 by using a bar code reader to scan that portion of thepromotional card imprinted with the bar code.

[0072] This type of transaction facilitates participation in the onlineexperience. The unique identifier can be interpreted and used by theinteraction program 1000 to obtain the offline experience identifier280. The interaction program 1000, in operation with the offlineexperience program 200, can then use the offline experience identifier280 to access offline experience data items 260, relevant to thepromotional event, that have been stored in the associated offlineexperience record 240. The interaction program 1000 can then use theseoffline experience data items 260 to tailor the online experienceaccordingly.

[0073] However, also during this transaction, the interaction program1000 may solicit and receive one or more user data items 460 from theuser, establish a user record 440 for the user, and store the user dataitems 460 in the user record 440. In some cases, if the interactionprogram 1000 has already previously established a user record 440 forthe user, for example, based on a previous transaction between the userand the Company, and in that transaction has collected user data items460, the collection of user data items 460 during this currenttransaction can involve accessing those user data items 460 in theuser's user record 440. Any new or changed user data items 460 can beadded to or updated in the user's user record 440. The user data items460 can then be used to tailor the user's online experience.

[0074] Also during this transaction, user data items may be inferred, asnoted above, and user data items based on a characteristic of the onlineexperience may also be inferred. For example, if the user accesses theCompany's Web site using a Windows™-based personal computer, theinteraction program 1000 can infer that Windows™ is the operating systemplatform preferred by the user.

[0075] It should be understood that while in this alternate example theunique identifier was established using the offline experienceidentifier 280 and not a user identifier 480, certain embodiments of theinvention could use unique identifiers that are established using useridentifiers 480 and not offline experience identifiers 280. In suchembodiments, then, the offline experience identifiers 280 can beprovided later during an online transaction, and the online experiencecan be tailored accordingly, similar to the manner described above. Forexample, a user could purchase a subscription to online contentpresented by the interaction program 1000, and in return receive aunique identifier. Later, during an online transaction, the user can beprompted to provide an offline experience data item (e.g., the name ofan event or the name of a media selection) to the interaction program1000, and the interaction program 1000 can tailor the online experienceaccordingly.

[0076] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, in another embodiment a system1100 is similar in structure and function to the system 50 of the firstembodiment, with certain exceptions.

[0077] First, the user has a mobile phone 90 that can be used to accessthe Internet 80 wirelessly and that the user can use to send and receiveinformation to and from the Web server 72 and other nodes of theInternet 80.

[0078] Second, to provide a second specific example to illustrate thisembodiment, the Company shall be considered to further be in thebusiness of broadcasting media selections over two media channels, andhave a current broadcast base of several media selections. The offlineexperience database 220 in this embodiment has at least one offlineexperience record 240. Using the second specific example, each of therecords 240 corresponds to one of the media selections. Each of therecords 240 contains at least one offline experience data item 260, eachof which is a data item relevant to the media selection for which theassociated record is established. The data items 260 in the secondspecific example are: the name of the media selection, the type of themedia selection, and the performer of the media selection. Again, itshould be understood that additional or alternative data items may bestored, depending on the type of offline experience being promoted bythe Company, and that the data items used here are merely examples forone type of offline experience.

[0079] Further, the offline experience identifiers 280 in the secondspecific example are media selection identifier codes 280: MEDIA1,MEDIA2, MEDIA3, MEDIA4 AND MEDIA5. Each code 280 can be used to accessits associated record 240 via instructions and processes of the offlineexperience program 200 in a manner known in the art. It should beunderstood that any suitable identifier format can be used, and theformat provided here is merely one example.

[0080] Third, the Web server 72 further includes on the hard drive 74digital copies 1120 of the media selections, and a program 1200 that ifprovided with a media selection identifier 280, can access theassociated digital copy 1120 and effect a download of the digital copy1120 to the computer 60 through the Internet 80. It should be understoodthat in other embodiments, the digital copies 1120 can reside on otherservers or storage mediums, remote from or proximal to the Web server72, and be accessible to the Web server 72 to enable the samefunctionality as described.

[0081] The digital copy 1120 can be, for example, a digital media filethat when played presents the associated media selection. For example,the digital copy 1120 can be a .wav file that can be played by a mediaplayer application, such as, for example, Windows™ Media Player™, thatexecutes on the computer 60. It should be understood that the term“download” as used herein encompasses any method of transfer, includingdigital transfers of a type known in the art.

[0082] Fourth, the Web server 72 further includes a program 1300 thatmaintains a data table 1310 that includes current play list data for thetwo media channels. In the second specific example, each media channel,identified with media channel identifiers 1320: CHANNEL1 and CHANNEL2,respectively, play the media selections at the times indicated in thedata table 1310.

[0083] All other components of the system 1100 are labeled in accordancewith the labeling of the system 50 of the first embodiment, to indicateidentical functionality.

[0084] In operation, the system 1100 can be used to generate a uniqueidentifier that can be used to integrate an offline experience of a userwith an online experience of the user. In the second specific example,the offline experience includes a media selection that the userexperiences, specifically an audio selection that the user hears on ananalog radio station. It should be noted that other media selections mayinclude, for example, a video selection that is heard and/or seen by theuser, and may include live media selections or recorded mediaselections. The online experience includes the downloading of a digitalcopy of the song.

[0085] As noted above, the process for generating a unique identifierthat can be used to integrate the offline experience with the onlineexperience includes establishing the offline experience identifiers 280.Each of the identifiers 280 can be used to access at least one of theoffline experience data items 260 associated with the respectiveidentifier 280.

[0086] The process further includes, as part of a transaction related toat least one of the offline experience and the online experience,collecting at least one of the user data items 460. In the secondspecific example, the transaction is related to the offline experiencein that it is a transaction into which the user enters to be able tohear the song. In this manner, the transaction facilitates participationof the user in the offline experience. In the second specific example,the transaction is a transaction for subscribing for access to mediachannels on which the media selections are broadcast. For anotherexample, the transaction can be a transaction for subscribing for accessto a media collection containing the media selections. Such transactionscan be similar to the transaction described above for purchasingadmission to an event. Prior to the transaction in this secondillustrative example, the user determines the media channel to which shedesires to listen. The user then operates the computer 60 to connect toa Web page presented by the interaction program 1000 and navigates to aWeb page that, in operation with the financial program 600, enables theuser to place an order for a subscription to one of the media channels.The interaction program 1000 solicits and receives from the user paymentinformation, including a credit card number, the name on the creditcard, and the expiration date of the credit card. In this manner, theinteraction program 1000, in operation with the financial program 600,collects several user data items 460. These particular user data items460 are relevant to the user in that they provide information about theuser that the Company can use to secure payment for the subscription. Itshould be understood that additional or alternate payment informationcan be used, such as, for example, account numbers, debit card numbers,check numbers, and electronic or digital currency numbers. Once thepayment information is received, the information is provided to thefinancial program 600 for processing in accordance with financialtransaction processing known in the art, including debiting the creditcard and crediting an account owned by the Company.

[0087] As part of the transaction, the interaction program 1000 may alsoask the user for user data items that are not necessary to complete thetransaction, but which may be helpful to the Company for marketing orother purposes. Such user data items include, in the second specificexample, the user data items listed above in the related discussionregarding the first embodiment. It should be understood that user dataitems can therefore be collected in the manners described above and inother manners, and be stored in a user record 440 for the user in theuser database 420 maintained by the Web server 72.

[0088] The process for generating a unique identifier that can be usedto integrate the offline experience with the online experience furtherincludes establishing the user identifiers 480. Each of the identifiers480 can be used to access at least one of the user data items 460associated with the respective identifier 480. In the second specificexample, the user identifiers are user account codes 480. That is, as aresult of the transaction in the second specific example, the userprogram 400 creates a user record 440, stores the user data items 460 inthe user's user record 440, and create a new user account code 480 forthe user. This user account code 480 can be used by the user program 400later to retrieve the user data items 460.

[0089] The process for generating a unique identifier that can be usedto integrate the offline experience with the online experience furtherincludes using the offline experience identifier and/or the useridentifier to establish the unique identifier, such that the uniqueidentifier can be subsequently used to obtain the offline experienceidentifier and/or the user identifier. In the second specific example,the interaction program 1000 accesses the user account code 480 and usesit to establish a unique identifier 1210 that is a character string. Itshould be understood that the unique identifier can be established inmany ways, and could take on other forms, including the ways and formsdiscussed above in the related discussion regarding the firstillustrated embodiment. The use of forms that are printed on physicalobjects and/or that cannot easily be read or communicated by the user,but which can easily be read by a machine, have certain advantages.Those forms provide greater control by the Company as to which users cangain access to tailored online experiences through the use of the uniqueidentifier, and provide greater accuracy of user data items that arecollected.

[0090] As part of the transaction in this embodiment, the interactionprogram 1000 provides the unique identifier 1210 to the financialprogram 600, which in turn provides the unique identifier 1210 to thefinancial system 610. The financial system 610 in the second specificexample generates a digital form of the unique identifier 1210 andtransmits the unique identifier 1210 in digital form to the user, forexample, through email or another electronic delivery medium. Becausethe unique identifier 1210 is a character string, it can easily be readand communicated by the user. Therefore, the user can, when asked by theinteraction program 1000 or other programs, provide the character stringmanually using a keyboard, keypad, stylus, voice recognition system, orother input device. This is preferable when the use of a bar code readeror other machine reader is not practical or efficient, for example, whenit is preferable that the unique identifier be supplied by a variety ofinput devices, especially mobile devices with limited input features,and including the mobile phone 90 shown in FIG. 3.

[0091] The system 1100 further provides for using the unique identifierto integrate the offline experience with the online experience. Theprocess for using the unique identifier to integrate the offlineexperience with the online experience includes receiving the uniqueidentifier during a transaction related to the online experience. Inthis embodiment, the solicitation, provision and use of the uniqueidentifier 1210 can be accomplished in the same manners described abovein the related discussions with regard to the first embodiment,including navigating to a Web site hosted by the Company, providing theunique identifier 1210, and thereafter being presented with tailored Webpages and other tailored online experiences.

[0092] The manner in which media selections are typically broadcast ordistributed presents certain additional and/or alternative opportunitiesfor the tailoring of the online experience. For example, many eventstake place at times and through venues that are established and known tothe user prior to the event. This allows the user to participate in theevent knowing in advance the probable content of the event. By contrast,many media selections are broadcast or distributed without warning tothe user. For example, the user will hear a song on the radio whiledriving in her car, without foreknowledge that the song was going to beplayed. Or, for example, the user will see and hear a video whileviewing and listening to television, without foreknowledge that thevideo was going to be broadcast. Or, for example, the user may attend anevent knowing that a certain artist is scheduled to perform, but notknowing exactly what songs will be performed. During the event, the usermay hear a song that the user did not expect to hear, or see a visualpresentation that the user did not expect to see. The user is typicallyunaware of the title of the media selection that has been experienced,and therefore is unable to identify the media selection to the Companyso that the Company can tailor the online experience in the mannersdescribed above. Nevertheless, the user may still be interested inobtaining more information about the media selection, and/or purchasingand/or obtaining a copy of the media selection. The invention provides aprocess by which additional information about the media selection can becollected such as, for example, the time at which the user experiences amedia selection and/or the venue through which the user experiences themedia selection. Such additional information can then be usedindividually and/or collectively as offline experience identifiers, andcan therefore be used to tailor the online experience.

[0093] Accordingly, another process for using the unique identifier tointegrate the offline experience with the online experience is presentedin this embodiment. As noted above, in the second specific example, theuser has already engaged in a transaction to subscribe to a mediachannel, and therefore has been issued a unique identifier 1210. Itshould be noted that in addition to media channels, the describedembodiment can be adapted to accomplish the same functionality if theuser has, for example, purchased a subscription to a media collectionowned by the Company, or admission to an event where media selectionsare, for example, performed live. Here in the second specific example,the user has provided payment information as described above, and inexchange, is permitted to listen to the media channel.

[0094] As the user listens to the media channel, the user experiences amedia selection, and desires to purchase and take delivery of a copy ofthe media selection. However, the user does not know any informationabout the media selection other than the time at which she experiencedit (e.g., 5:00 P.M. on June 5^(th)) and the venue through which sheexperienced it (e.g., MTV™ cable station, WPLJ™ radio station, or aspecific concert). In order to identify the media selection to theinteraction program 1000, this time and venue information can beprovided to the interaction program 1000 manually by the user. In someembodiments, it can be provided to the interaction program 1000automatically by a media player.

[0095] In the second specific example, the user manually provides thetime and venue information using the mobile phone 90. It should beunderstood that any other suitable wireless communications device canalso be used, such as, for example, a PDA that is capable ofcommunicating using the Internet and/or otherwise establishing acommunication link to the interaction program 1000. The Company's Website in the second specific example can be accessed by the user's mobilephone 90 so that the user can conveniently provide the time and venueinformation. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the usercould provide the information manually using other communicationsdevices, including wired telecommunications devices such as land-basedtelephones (e.g., using voice commands or instructions or using thekeypad tones) and desktop computers.

[0096] Automatic provision of the time and venue information can beachieved through the use of media players that are adapted to have sucha feature. For example, certain media players such as, for example,digital media players, are aware of which media channel is currentlybeing monitored by the media player, and are aware of the current time.Also for example, certain digital media players are aware that the mediaplayer is currently set to the Pop channel, and that the current time ofday is 4:30 P.M. Such media players could be further adapted to have aselection button that when activated, establishes a communications linkto, and digitally transmits the time and channel information to, theinteraction program 1000.

[0097] In the second specific example, as the user is listening to ananalog radio station (the channel to which she subscribed), she hears asong that she likes, but with which she is unfamiliar. She decides thatshe would like to purchase and download a digital copy of the song. Itshould be noted that forms of delivery other than digital download canbe requested by the user and employed by the Company such as, forexample, the delivery of a copy of the song on a recording medium suchas, for example, a compact disc, a tape, or a memory. Because the mediaplayer in the second specific example is analog, she will need toprovide enough information to the interaction program 1000 so that theinteraction program 1000, in operation with the program 1300, canidentify the song. Using the mobile phone 90, the user navigates to theCompany's Web site and interacts with the interaction program 1000. Theinteraction program 1000 solicits the unique identifier 1210, interpretsit to obtain the user's user account code 480, and, in operation withuser program 400, uses the code 480 to access the user's user record440. It should be noted that if the user has not already been issued aunique identifier 1210, the interaction program 1000 at this point can,in operation with the financial program 600, step the user through aregistration and payment process before the user proceeds to use theservice. Or, the interaction program 1000 may allow the user totemporarily use the service on a trial basis. Once the user's uniqueidentifier 1210 is recognized by the interaction program 1000, she isprompted to provide the time and venue information.

[0098] Although the time and venue information in this and otherembodiments can serve as offline experience data items 260 as part of,for example, a media selection record 240, the time and venueinformation can serve individually and/or collectively in thisembodiment as offline experience identifiers 280 in that the informationcan be used by the program 1300 to identify the media selectionexperienced by the user. For example, if the interaction program 1000has access to the broadcast listings or the proposed program of thespecific venue, and/or has monitored (or has access to informationcollected by an entity that has monitored) the broadcasts of the venueor the events at the venue, the interaction program 1000 can identifythe media selection without requiring the user to provide anyinformation other than the time and venue of the user's experience. Thisinformation is likely to be available to the Company in its regularcourse of business as an entertainment company. For example, if theCompany has access to a television or radio station's play list, ormonitors the broadcast of the television or radio station, the Companywill know the time at which each song or video was played. Or, forexample, if the Company has access to a proposed program for a givenconcert, and/or has monitored the events at the concert, the Companywill know the time at which an event was performed at the concert.Accordingly, in the second specific example, when the user provides tothe interaction program 1000 the time and venue information for thedesired media selection, the interaction program 1000, in operation withprogram 1300 and the data table 1310, identifies the media selection andmarks it as a media selection that the user desires to purchase and havedelivered to her. Here in the second specific example, interactionprogram 1000, operation with the program 1300 and the data table 1310,has access to the play list of the analog radio station, and thereforeknows that a given song was played on that station at the time the userspecified.

[0099] It should be understood that in some cases, the venue throughwhich the media selection is being experienced makes the user aware ofadditional information about the media selection, such as, for example,the title of the media selection, the type of the media selection, andthe names of persons associated with the media selection. Thisadditional information can be provided by the user to the interactionprogram 1000 so that the interaction program 1000 can more easilyidentify the media selection. For example, the master of ceremonies atan event could announce any of these items of information to the user.Or, for example, a digital media player could present any of these itemsof information to the user. Or, for example, a radio station jockeycould announce any of these items of information over the airwaves.Depending on the nature of the additional information, the interactionprogram 1000 may not need to use program 1300 as described above inorder to identify the desired media selection.

[0100] In the same regard, certain digital media players may also beaware of additional information such as, for example, the title of themedia selection, the type of the media selection, and the names ofpersons associated with the media selection, and could transmit to theinteraction program 1000 such additional information instead of or inaddition to the time and venue information.

[0101] Once the unique identifier 1210 has been received and has beenused to obtain the offline experience identifiers 280, the offlineexperience identifiers 280 can be used to access the offline experiencedata items 260 so that the online experience can be tailored. In thesecond specific example, the online experience includes downloading amedia selection, and the online experience is tailored by facilitatingthe downloading of the specific media selection that the userexperienced during the offline experience.

[0102] Accordingly, once the interaction program 1000 has obtained thetime and venue information, the interaction program 1000 in the secondspecific example begins the process of tailoring the online experienceaccordingly. As noted above, the interaction program 1000, in operationwith program 1300 and data table 1310, uses the time and venueinformation to identify the desired media selection and, in operationwith program 1200, schedules the downloading of a digital copy 1120 ofthe media selection to a location specified by the user such as, forexample, the user's computer 60. In some embodiments such as, forexample, when the user provides the time and venue information from thecomputer 60 to which the digital copy 1120 will be downloaded, thedownloading can begin as soon as possible. In other embodiments, theuser may leave the computer 60 on and networked to the Company's Website for the purpose of receiving downloads as soon as they areavailable, so that the digital copies 1120 of the media selections areavailable as soon as possible after the user returns to the computer 60.

[0103] In the second specific example, where the user provides the timeand venue information from a mobile device such as the mobile phone 90,the downloading can begin after the user has returned to her computer60. Accordingly, when the user returns to her computer 60, she can enterinto a second transaction in which the interaction program 1000 receivesthe unique identifier 1210. This second transaction is related to theonline experience, because it facilitates the actual downloading of thedesired digital copy 1120. During this second transaction, the useroperates the computer 60 to interact with the interaction program 1000,which solicits her unique identifier 1210. She can provide the uniqueidentifier 1210 by any suitable manner, including the manners describedabove.

[0104] After receiving the user's unique identifier, the interactionprogram 1000 in the second specific example, uses it, in operation withthe user program 400, to access the user's user record 440 in the userdatabase 420. As noted above, the user's user record 440 has beenannotated to reflect that the downloading of a digital copy 1120 of themedia selection has been scheduled for the user.

[0105] Because the interaction program 1000 previously obtained the timeand venue information, and used that information, in operation withprogram 1300, to identify the media selection, and in operation withprogram 1200, has scheduled the downloading of a digital copy 1120 ofthe media selection, the online experience has been tailored by theinteraction program 1000. The tailoring is completed in this regard whenthe interaction program 1000, after the recent receipt of the user'sunique identifier 1210, in operation with program 1200, initiates thescheduled download. Once the download is complete, the user is able toconveniently experience the media selection using media players wellknown in the art. In some embodiments, where the Company wishes tocharge for the downloading, the interaction program 1000 can, inoperation with financial program 600, solicit and receive additionalpayment information from the user to receive payment for the download.

[0106] It should be understood that alternatively or in addition todownloading digital copies of media selections, it would be possible toenable downloading of other content, such as information packets orhyperlinks to online content sites, or to enable the delivery of suchinformation to an email or other electronic account of the user,depending on the size of the item to be downloaded and/or sent. Ofcourse, if the media selections are small enough, such delivery to emailaccount and/or other types of electronic accounts, may be desirable aswell.

[0107] It should also be understood that the online experience can befurther tailored in other manners, such as the manners discussed abovewith regard to providing the ability for the user to purchasemerchandise related to the media selection, and to view informationrelated to the media selection. Such tailoring can be based on theoffline experience or on one or more of the user data items that arestored in the user's user record 440. In some embodiments, theinteraction program 1000, in operation with the financial program 600,and with the user's permission, can, upon receipt of the offlineexperience identifiers 280 (including, if applicable, the time and venueinformation), debit the user's credit card for the price of a compactdisc containing the song, and the price for delivering the compact discto the user, and subsequently have the compact disc mailed to the useror have a digital copy of the song automatically downloaded to theuser's computer.

[0108] Unless stated to the contrary, any use of words such as“including”, “containing”, “including” and the like, means “includingwithout limitation” and shall not be construed to limit any generalstatement that it follows to the specific or similar items or mattersimmediately following it. References to a “plurality” of things means atleast two of the things.

[0109] Except where the context indicates to the contrary, all companyand product names, as well as URL addresses, are intended to befictitious and used herein for purposes of example only.

[0110] Most of the foregoing alternative embodiments are not mutuallyexclusive, but may be implemented in various combinations to achieveunique advantages. As these and other variations and combinations of thefeatures discussed above can be utilized without departing from theinvention as defined by the claims, the foregoing description of theembodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way oflimitation of the invention as defined by the claims.

1. A method for generating a unique identifier that can be used tointegrate an offline experience of a user with an online experience ofthe user, comprising: establishing an offline experience identifier thatcan be used to access at least one offline experience data item, theoffline experience data item being a data item relevant to the offlineexperience; as part of a transaction related to at least one of theoffline experience and the online experience, collecting at least oneuser data item, the user data item being a data item relevant to theuser; establishing a user identifier that can be used to access the userdata item; and using at least one of the offline experience identifierand the user identifier to establish the unique identifier; such thatthe unique identifier can be subsequently used to obtain at least one ofthe offline experience identifier and the user identifier.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the unique identifier comprises a combination of theoffline experience identifier and the user identifier.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the unique identifier comprises at least two separateidentifiers.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier isa numerical result of a mathematical algorithm applied to the offlineexperience identifier and the user identifier.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the unique identifier comprises at least one of a characterstring and a bar code.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least aportion of the unique identifier is printed on a physical object.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the unique identifieris transmitted digitally.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thetransaction facilitates participation of the user in at least one of theoffline experience and the online experience.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the user data item was previously stored in a storage medium andcollecting comprises accessing the user data item from the storagemedium.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein collecting comprisessoliciting and receiving the user data item from the user.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein collecting comprises inferring the user dataitem based on at least of a characteristic of the offline experience, acharacteristic of the online experience, a characteristic of the user,and a characteristic of the transaction.
 12. The method of claim 8,wherein the transaction comprises scanning at least a portion of aphysical object, the portion being imprinted with at least one of theidentifiers.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the physical object isrequired for admission to the offline experience.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the transaction comprises at least one of aregistration and a purchase.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein thepurchase is a ticket purchase.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein theuser data item is selected from the group consisting of paymentinformation, contact information, demographic information, andpreference information.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thedemographic data is selected from the group consisting of maritalstatus, income level, occupation, number of children, number ofrelatives, a biological feature and a biological measurement.
 18. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the offline experience is a media selectionexperienced by the user and the offline experience data item comprisesat least one of a title of the media selection, a person associated withthe media selection, a channel on which the media selection wasexperienced by the user, and a time at which the media selection wasexperienced by the user.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mediaselection is an audio selection that is heard by the user.
 20. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the media selection is a video selectionthat is at least one of heard and seen by the user.
 21. The method claim1, wherein the offline experience is an event experienced by the userand the offline experience data item comprises at least one of a name ofthe event, a person associated with the event, a type of the event, atime of the event, and a place of the event.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein the event is at least one of a concert, a show, a presentation,a lecture, and a speech, that is attended by the user.
 23. A storagemedium containing a software program capable of causing a system toexecute actions in generating a unique identifier that can be used tointegrate an offline experience of a user with an online experience ofthe user, the actions comprising: establishing an offline experienceidentifier that can be used to access at least one offline experiencedata item, the offline experience data item being a data item relevantto the offline experience; as part of a transaction related to at leastone of the offline experience and the online experience, collecting atleast one user data item, the user data item being a data item relevantto the user; establishing a user identifier that can be used to accessthe user data item; and using at least one of the offline experienceidentifier and the user identifier to establish the unique identifier;such that the unique identifier can be subsequently used to obtain atleast one of the offline experience identifier and the user identifier.24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the unique identifier comprises acombination of the offline experience identifier and the useridentifier.
 25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the unique identifiercomprises at least two separate identifiers.
 26. The medium of claim 23,wherein the unique identifier is a numerical result of a mathematicalalgorithm applied to the offline experience identifier and the useridentifier.
 27. The medium of claim 23, wherein the unique identifiercomprises at least one of a character string and a bar code.
 28. Themedium of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of the unique identifieris printed on a physical object.
 29. The medium of claim 23, wherein atleast a portion of the unique identifier is transmitted digitally. 30.The medium of claim 23, wherein the transaction facilitatesparticipation of the user in at least one of the offline experience andthe online experience.
 31. The medium of claim 30, wherein the user dataitem was previously stored in a storage medium and collecting comprisesaccessing the user data item from the storage medium.
 32. The medium ofclaim 30, wherein collecting comprises soliciting and receiving the userdata item from the user.
 33. The medium of claim 30, wherein collectingcomprises inferring the user data item based on at least of acharacteristic of the offline experience, a characteristic of the onlineexperience, a characteristic of the user, and a characteristic of thetransaction.
 34. The medium of claim 30, wherein the transactioncomprises scanning at least a portion of a physical object, the portionbeing imprinted with at least one of the identifiers.
 35. The medium ofclaim 34, wherein the physical object is required for admission to theoffline experience.
 36. The medium of claim 23, wherein the transactioncomprises at least one of a registration and a purchase.
 37. The mediumof claim 36, wherein the purchase is a ticket purchase.
 38. The mediumof claim 23, wherein the user data item is selected from the groupconsisting of payment information, contact information, demographicinformation, and preference information.
 39. The medium of claim 38,wherein the demographic data is selected from the group consisting ofmarital status, income level, occupation, number of children, number ofrelatives, a biological feature and a biological measurement.
 40. Themedium of claim 23, wherein the offline experience is a media selectionexperienced by the user and the offline experience data item comprisesat least one of a title of the media selection, a person associated withthe media selection, a channel on which the media selection wasexperienced by the user, and a time at which the media selection wasexperienced by the user.
 41. The medium of claim 40, wherein the mediaselection is an audio selection that is heard by the user.
 42. Themedium of claim 40, wherein the media selection is a video selectionthat is at least one of heard and seen by the user.
 43. The medium claim23, wherein the offline experience is an event experienced by the userand the offline experience data item comprises at least one of a name ofthe event, a person associated with the event, a type of the event, atime of the event, and a place of the event.
 44. The medium of claim 43,wherein the event is at least one of a concert, a show, a presentation,a lecture, and a speech, that is attended by the user.
 45. A systemincluding a microprocessor operating under the control of at least onesoftware program capable of causing the system to execute actions ingenerating a unique identifier that can be used to integrate an offlineexperience of a user with an online experience of the user, the actionscomprising: establishing an offline experience identifier that can beused to access at least one offline experience data item, the offlineexperience data item being a data item relevant to the offlineexperience; as part of a transaction related to at least one of theoffline experience and the online experience, collecting at least oneuser data item, the user data item being a data item relevant to theuser; establishing a user identifier that can be used to access the userdata item; and using at least one of the offline experience identifierand the user identifier to establish the unique identifier; such thatthe unique identifier can be subsequently used to obtain at least one ofthe offline experience identifier and the user identifier.
 46. Thesystem of claim 45, wherein the unique identifier comprises acombination of the offline experience identifier and the useridentifier.
 47. The system of claim 45, wherein the unique identifiercomprises at least two separate identifiers.
 48. The system of claim 45,wherein the unique identifier is a numerical result of a mathematicalalgorithm applied to the offline experience identifier and the useridentifier.
 49. The system of claim 45, wherein the unique identifiercomprises at least one of a character string and a bar code.
 50. Thesystem of claim 45, wherein at least a portion of the unique identifieris printed on a physical object.
 51. The system of claim 45, wherein atleast a portion of the unique identifier is transmitted digitally. 52.The system of claim 45, wherein the transaction facilitatesparticipation of the user in at least one of the offline experience andthe online experience.
 53. The system of claim 52, wherein the user dataitem was previously stored in a storage medium and collecting comprisesaccessing the user data item from the storage medium.
 54. The system ofclaim 52, wherein collecting comprises soliciting and receiving the userdata item from the user.
 55. The system of claim 52, wherein collectingcomprises inferring the user data item based on at least of acharacteristic of the offline experience, a characteristic of the onlineexperience, a characteristic of the user, and a characteristic of thetransaction.
 56. The system of claim 52, wherein the transactioncomprises scanning at least a portion of a physical object, the portionbeing imprinted with at least one of the identifiers.
 57. The system ofclaim 56, wherein the physical object is required for admission to theoffline experience.
 58. The system of claim 45, wherein the transactioncomprises at least one of a registration and a purchase.
 59. The systemof claim 58, wherein the purchase is a ticket purchase.
 60. The systemof claim 45, wherein the user data item is selected from the groupconsisting of payment information, contact information, demographicinformation, and preference information.
 61. The system of claim 60,wherein the demographic data is selected from the group consisting ofmarital status, income level, occupation, number of children, number ofrelatives, a biological feature and a biological measurement.
 62. Thesystem of claim 45, wherein the offline experience is a media selectionexperienced by the user and the offline experience data item comprisesat least one of a title of the media selection, a person associated withthe media selection, a channel on which the media selection wasexperienced by the user, and a time at which the media selection wasexperienced by the user.
 63. The system of claim 62, wherein the mediaselection is an audio selection that is heard by the user.
 64. Thesystem of claim 62, wherein the media selection is a video selectionthat is at least one of heard and seen by the user.
 65. The system claim45, wherein the offline experience is an event experienced by the userand the offline experience data item comprises at least one of a name ofthe event, a person associated with the event, a type of the event, atime of the event, and a place of the event.
 66. The system of claim 65,wherein the event is at least one of a concert, a show, a presentation,a lecture, and a speech, that is attended by the user.
 67. A systemcapable of generating a unique identifier that can be used to integratean offline experience of a user with an online experience of the user,comprising: means for establishing an offline experience identifier thatcan be used to access at least one offline experience data item, theoffline experience data item being a data item relevant to the offlineexperience; means for, as part of a transaction related to at least oneof the offline experience and the online experience, collecting at leastone user data item, the user data item being a data item relevant to theuser; means for establishing a user identifier that can be used toaccess the user data item; and means for using at least one of theoffline experience identifier and the user identifier to establish theunique identifier; wherein the unique identifier can be subsequentlyused to obtain at least one of the offline experience identifier and theuser identifier.
 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the uniqueidentifier comprises a combination of the offline experience identifierand the user identifier.
 69. The system of claim 67, wherein the uniqueidentifier comprises at least two separate identifiers.
 70. The systemof claim 67, wherein the unique identifier is a numerical result of amathematical algorithm applied to the offline experience identifier andthe user identifier.
 71. The system of claim 67, wherein the uniqueidentifier comprises at least one of a character string and a bar code.72. The system of claim 67, wherein at least a portion of the uniqueidentifier is printed on a physical object.
 73. The system of claim 67,wherein at least a portion of the unique identifier is transmitteddigitally.
 74. The system of claim 67, wherein the transactionfacilitates participation of the user in at least one of the offlineexperience and the online experience.
 75. The system of claim 74,wherein the user data item was previously stored in a storage medium andcollecting comprises accessing the user data item from the storagemedium.
 76. The system of claim 74, wherein collecting comprisessoliciting and receiving the user data item from the user.
 77. Thesystem of claim 74, wherein collecting comprises inferring the user dataitem based on at least of a characteristic of the offline experience, acharacteristic of the online experience, a characteristic of the user,and a characteristic of the transaction.
 78. The system of claim 74,wherein the transaction comprises scanning at least a portion of aphysical object, the portion being imprinted with at least one of theidentifiers.
 79. The system of claim 78, wherein the physical object isrequired for admission to the offline experience.
 80. The system ofclaim 67, wherein the transaction comprises at least one of aregistration and a purchase.
 81. The system of claim 80, wherein thepurchase is a ticket purchase.
 82. The system of claim 67, wherein theuser data item is selected from the group consisting of paymentinformation, contact information, demographic information, andpreference information.
 83. The system of claim 82, wherein thedemographic data is selected from the group consisting of maritalstatus, income level, occupation, number of children, number ofrelatives, a biological feature and a biological measurement.
 84. Thesystem of claim 67, wherein the offline experience is a media selectionexperienced by the user and the offline experience data item comprisesat least one of a title of the media selection, a person associated withthe media selection, a channel on which the media selection wasexperienced by the user, and a time at which the media selection wasexperienced by the user.
 85. The system of claim 84, wherein the mediaselection is an audio selection that is heard by the user.
 86. Thesystem of claim 84, wherein the media selection is a video selectionthat is at least one of heard and seen by the user.
 87. The system claim67, wherein the offline experience is an event experienced by the userand the offline experience data item comprises at least one of a name ofthe event, a person associated with the event, a type of the event, atime of the event, and a place of the event.
 88. The system of claim 87,wherein the event is at least one of a concert, a show, a presentation,a lecture, and a speech, that is attended by the user.
 89. A method ofproviding information, comprising: issuing to a person attending anevent an identifier that is associated with the event; associating, withthe event, products and services available for sale to the person;receiving the identifier via a computer network; retrieving adescription of the products and services using the identifier; andsending the description via the computer network in response to thereceipt of the identifier.
 90. The method of claim 89, wherein the eventis selected from the group consisting of a concert, a show, apresentation and a lecture.
 91. The method of claim 89, wherein thecomputer network includes the Internet.
 92. The method of claim 89,wherein at least one of the products and services is selected from thegroup consisting of information about an artist, information about aconcert, a piece of merchandise related to a concert, a ticket, arecording of a concert, clothing, a compact disc, fan club material,delivery of a news story, biographical material, and an advanced ticketpurchase opportunity.